STUDY GUIDE

GRADES K - 2 ASSEMBLY

For more information on this production, including specific grade level standards and a downloadable Activity Page, please visit our website:

www.MGReducation.com

Merry-Go-Round PlayhouseLisa Chase, Artistic Director • Erin Katzker, Educational Theatre Manager

17 William St., 2nd Floor • Auburn, New York 13021 Phone: (315) 255-1305 • Fax (315) 252-3815

Email: youthmgr@merry-go-round.comwww.MGReducation.com

Additional Resources

Websites fairytalez.com — A website featuring more than 3,800 fairy tales, folk tales, and fables from around the world.

Books Ahlberg, Janet and Allan. The Jolly Postman or Other People’s Letters. Boston; Toronto; London: Little, Brown and Company, 1986.

Gormley, Greg and Steven Lenton. Fairytale Frankie and the Tricky Witch. London: Orchard Books, 2016.

Campbell, Jen. Franklin and Luna and the Book of Fairy Tales. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2019

Learning Objectives - Huff and Puff: A Pig Tale 60 minute performance Students: • Identify examples of character attributes, such as caring, trustworthiness, and responsibility. • Differentiate between kind behaviors and unkind behaviors. • Practice proper audience etiquette. • Evaluate traits of the characters in the play by applying principles of character education. • Contribute to the story by playing ensemble roles.

Activities

Pre-Performance1. Huff and Puff: A Pig Tale features many memorable fairy tale characters from different stories. Some other books that also do this are The Jolly Postman, Fairy Tale Frankie, and Franklin and Luna and the Book of Fairy Tales. Read one of these stories aloud to your class. Together, choose three fairy tale characters from the story and create Venn Diagrams for each. Examine the similarities and differences of the characters between the story you read and the classic stories the characters usually appear in.

2. In our story, the three pigs have to leave their home to build homes of their own- a very difficult task! Have your students think about a time they did something that was difficult for them. Have them draw three pictures of that situation: 1) the beginning, 2) the middle, and 3) the end of the story. Using the pictures as a guide, have each student tell their classmates the story. Make sure they include where they were, what they were doing, and how it ended up!

Post-Performance

1. To assume something means to believe that it is true, even if there is no proof. We also call this “judging a book by its cover.” Sometimes people judge others before they have met them, based on how a person looks or because of things they have heard about them. Ask your students why this might be harmful. Would they want others to assume things about them?

2. Ask your students to think of a moment in the play when a character was displaying one or more of the Pillars of Good Character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, or citizenship. Ask them to draw a picture of this moment from the play and then share with the class.

A Pig TaleBy Shane Strawbridge

Huffand

Puff:NYS Learning Standards included with Huff and Puff: A Pig TaleNYS Learning Standards for the Arts:

• Grade K: TH:Cr2.1.K, TH:Cr3.1.K, TH:Pr4.1.K, TH:Pr5.1.K, TH:Pr7.1.K, TH:Cn11.1.K• Grade 1: TH:Pr7.1.1• Grade 2: TH:Pr7.1.2

NYS Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards:• Grade K: KSL1• Grade 1: 1SL1• Grade 2: 2SL1

A Medley of Fairy TalesYour students will recognize several iconic fairy tale characters in our

play. Review the stories below with your students before our visit:

TrusTworThiness

ResponsibiliTy

Fairness

CaRing

CiTizenship

Pillars of Good Character in this Performance

The oldest pig builds her house out of bricks. While this might be a much harder way to

build a house, it will surely last much longer than a house of straw or sticks. Sometimes

the responsible choice isn’t the easiest, but it will always pay off in the end.

Rapunzel learns that she shouldn’t disrespect others just because of rumors she might have

heard. Each person deserves respect and a chance to prove themselves.

At the end of the story, the pigs remember what a mess they made at the Three Bears

house and that it wasn’t fair for Goldilocks to have to clean it up herself. They make a

plan to go back to help.

The little pig helps the troll to be able to sleep and the Billy Goats Gruff to not be eaten by

putting pillows on the goats hooves.

The pigs decide to listen to the wolf and help him, even though he wasn’t very nice to them.

They learn that the world is a better place if we all work together and help each other.

The wolf remarks, “It can be hard to trust someone after they have hurt you.” He learns that trust must be earned,

and he intends to do just that!

Preparing: To get ready for something. “She has been out all morning preparing to move.”

Inexpensive: Not costing a lot of money.“Straw is light and easy to carry. And it’s inexpensive…”

Foiled: Prevent something considered wrong from happening.“Foiled by good parenting!”

Narrator: The person or character who tells the events of a story.

“I thought we were going to take turns being the narrator.”

Hooves: The hard tips of the toes on certain animals, including horses and goats. “The hooves would make a sound even if they tip toed.”

Audition: A tryout for a job as a performer where you show your skills. “I just need you to come out here and audition.”

Riddle: A question where a person needs to use creative thinking to find the answer, typically presented as a game.

“I always find that solving a riddle before a meal makes it taste even better.”

Summary

RespecT

Key Vocabulary

Goldilocks

and the

Three Bears

The Three

Little Pigs

Three

Billy Goats

Gruff

Rapunzel

Our story begins with Kevin and Corey: two of the three little pigs. They announce that they will be telling their story how it really happened, beginning with their mother announcing it is time to move out of her house. Their oldest sibling is already out collecting materials for the move and they must follow suit. Corey, the youngest, decides to build his new home out of straw, which of course is later blown down by the wolf, named Calvin De Wolfe, sending him running for his life.

On his escape, Corey meets a troll who has been bothered by the Billy Goats Gruff making loud noises as they cross his bridge every day. Corey realizes that the troll only wants peace and quiet so he can sleep and comes up with a plan to help make that happen. With the help of a couple of audience members playing Gruff’s siblings, they put pillows under their feet to cross the bridge quietly. They all learn that sometimes it can be hard to listen to the other side of the story and to realize that maybe a little adjustment would make everyone happier.

Meanwhile, the wolf is still in hot pursuit of the youngest pig. Corey finally meets up with his older brother, Kevin, who has made his house of sticks and they take refuge there. When Calvin De Wolfe arrives, he easily blows down Kevin’s house, too. With some quick thinking, Kevin distracts the wolf with a riddle so the two brothers can escape.

Running through the woods, the two little pigs meet Rapunzel, high up in her tower. They ask for her help, but she has heard bad things about pigs and refuses to believe that they are being chased by a wolf. Then, of course, the wolf comes along and she refuses to help him, feeling guilty for not believing the pigs.

The pigs go on to meet Goldilocks who is house sitting for the three bears. She at least attempts to help them, but by the time they leave they have eaten all the porridge Goldilocks made for the bears, broken a chair, and left Goldilocks so tired that she lays down for a “quick” nap.

but this time he is stopped by Rapunzel. She still feels terrible for not helping the pigs, so she ties the wolf up in her hair until he promises not to hurt the pigs.

The pigs decide that after they go back to help Goldilocks clean up, everyone will go to lunch

together. Calvin De Wolfe decides he’s going to eat a vegetarian meal after the day he’s had. In the

end, they all learn the importance of listening to one another and working together to make sure that

everyone is happy, healthy, and well taken care of.

Next, they run to their eldest sibling’s home where she has been hard at work building her own home out of bricks. In comes the wolf again,

The wolf is very sorry for what he has done, and we find out that he was just hungry all along.